Posts Tagged ‘marin’

At least 160 birds have turned up dead along the shores in Richardson Bay near Tiburon and UC Davis scientists are expected to report this week on what caused the deaths.

The birds certainly could have been affected by two recent sewage spills in Marin County that dumped nearly 5.5 million gallons of partially treated sewage into the northern part of San Francisco Bay. Those spills occurred on January 26 and 31. The birds started appearing shortly thereafter.Get the Google Map widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox!The Richardson Bay Audubon Center and Sanctuary in Tiburon reported an unusual number of dead birds following the spills. There was also speculation that these birds could have also been suffering from remnants of the Cosco Busan oil spill that hit the bay on November 7, 2007.

Two months after the Cosco Busan oil spill, the bird center has been deactivated from treating oiled birds, but memories AND media stories are still surfacing. I meant to post this one about Vinnie, the adorable double-crested cormorant rescued and stabilized in Marin and washed of bunker oil in Cordelia.

This nice piece by writer Jim Staats and photographer Jeff Vensel appeared in the Marin Indepedent Journal just before Christmas. They followed an oiled bird from rescue to rehabilitation. The slide show of photos and audio capture the hard work by everyone involved.

ABOUT BIRD RESCUE

In addition to responding to oil spills around the world, International Bird Rescue staff work to care for birds impacted by lesser known threats like natural oil seeps under the ocean, algal blooms, marine debris, and extreme weather. We use this blog to share stories from the field and from the two California-based bird rescue centers we manage. We hope you enjoy this window into our world—we are truly passionate about caring for birds, and know that our community shares this passion. We could not do this important work without your ongoing support!